


We’ll Be Ok (We’ve Got Time)

by semioticdaydream



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Anniversary, Apocalypse, Armor Kink, Bottom Tony Stark, Hopeful Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, Power Dynamics, Sad Tony Stark, Soulmates, Top Steve Rogers, Unreliable Narrator, ambiguous ending, cannon non-compliant, power and control, steve is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24726262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semioticdaydream/pseuds/semioticdaydream
Summary: The world as they knew it is gone, and the only solace Steve knows is his soulmate, with whom he just can’t seem to get things quite right, or remember a very important date.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67
Collections: Team Angst





	We’ll Be Ok (We’ve Got Time)

**Author's Note:**

> For the SteveTony Games anniversary prompt, team angst! Please read at your own discretion. Mind the tags and know that I may have been a little heavy-handed with the themes. As it deals with an apocalyptic theme, character death is implied (but no one is named specifically). Take care!

May 6, 2012  
  


The moment they met, Steve knew they were soulmates. It didn’t take long to realize what the delicate, deep-red _AES_ inscription on his left rib cage signified. During a drunken night together two days after the battle of New York, Tony had casually mentioned the royal blue _SGR_ that marked his neck along his hairline. “Took me forever to find it,” he had slurred. “Rhodey was actually the one who finally saw. No one else ever noticed. Till then, thought I had no soulmate.” It took all of the training he had endured to restrain himself from lunging at Tony right then and there. A first kiss with his soulmate, when he’s drunk, wasn’t the dream Steve held close for all of his years. _We’ll be ok,_ he assured himself. _We’ve got time._

Steve knew Tony hadn’t remembered anything from that night. Things fell back to normal. Tony still avoided him frequently, and they argued when he didn’t. Battle after battle, argument after argument, they continued to survive, but each time grew a little less stable, a little nearer to failure. _We’ll be ok,_ he thought. _We’ve got time._

May 6th, 2016

The Avengers as a team were almost no more. The fight they endured was almost too much, it almost broke them, until Steve realized Tony had never prepared to fight _him_. In his rage and desperation, he had been ready to destroy the suit, right then and there, to leave Tony, burn it to the ground, and run - but when he realized how defenseless and unprepared Tony was against him, he hesitated. He felt wide, brown eyes search his face frantically, and the next thing his mind registered was the loud clanging of vibranium against frigid concrete. _Thank god he doesn’t remember we’re-_

They talked briefly, devised a simple plan, and Steve took Bucky into hiding. _We’ll be ok,_ he repeated to himself - for the next year. _We’ve got time._

Steve returned to New York in May, exactly one year to the day that he and Tony exchanged promises to fix the accords and set policy right. He’d had nothing but time to dream about their reunion. Sure, they talked and exchanged texts almost daily through the entire separation, but Steve couldn’t even allow his wildest dreams to indulge in a hope for anything more than a working relationship with the brown-eyed genius, the man he almost... 

Which is why when he finally entered Stark Tower and laid eyes on the beautiful brunette, it took almost a minute for his reeling brain to catch up with his body experiencing desperate kisses and a rapturous embrace. He finally registered the affection and reciprocated, accepting, _We’ll be ok_. _We’ve got time._

Though they spent every moment possible together, they never made their relationship official. _One day,_ Steve thought, _when he’s ready, I’ll tell him about my soulmark._ But despite the long walks at sunrise, exploring weird places together, near-nightly dinners, and the constant, passionate, sex they shared, they still argued like nothing had changed since the day they met, Tony still sulked in his workshop for hours on end, Steve still repeatedly stuck his foot in his mouth, and could never sieze a moment to tell him what he knew. 

_We’ll be ok._

_We’ve got time._

May 6th, 2018

The attack was unlike anything they had ever known. Thanos wasn’t just some legend they had been warned of. He was supremely formidable, and after sparing no expense, exhausting every option, strategy, and tactic they had ever discussed, Thanos was no more. 

With every defensible resource depleted in their substantial efforts, the onslaught of attacks following Thanos was enough to cripple the world. It wasn’t until fellow Avengers began to slowly fall that it was clear - their time had expired. The future had arrived, and it was a shock. 

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” Strange barked to no one identifiable. “These attacks are decades away! This is all wrong!”

Despite whatever knowledge Strange attested that he was privy to, it didn’t take long for Earth to change, fast becoming a landscape unrecognizable. Friends were lost, family faded away, Avengers fell, and soon, existence was a bleak wasteland. 

  
  


_-one year later-_

  
  


“Your beard’s getting long again.”

“Huh?” Steve had heard the question, he just hadn’t formulated a response. He was met with a soft smile illuminated by moonlight that pulled him back to the moment. “Oh, yeah. I guess I should ask Bruce to clean me up.”

“I like it.” Tony was still studying him with an easy expression on his face. 

Steve had been gone for almost three weeks clearing up a mutiny about 100 miles away that was spreading quickly. After the swell of post-Thanos alien attacks began to wane, borders were quickly constructed, first spanning large stretches, bisecting the country, then began to enclose smaller and smaller spaces. It wasn’t unique to the US - defining boundaries was a practice happening across the globe. Most borders didn’t have a defense other than the physical structure imposed upon the earth, but the disparity of those with resources and those without was severe. There were infinite fights, countless attacks, masses unnumbered in need of protection, and those left of the former team constantly traveled to stabilize as much of the country as possible. They were familiar with responding to aliens and beings non-terrestrial, but the threats to their new world were now almost exclusively perpetuated by residents of Earth. 

Despite this, home never changed, even when everything else around them did, and Steve always came back to the one who could assuage him. 

There was a stability in Tony that grounded Steve. His touch was warm and soothing, his hugs were settling, his kisses - nourishing. Tony had changed - he had lost his suits, no longer accompanied missions, didn’t travel from the compound. But Tony's affections remained constant, and Steve welcomed every opportunity to indulge. 

“You like it?” Steve questioned, finally turning his attention to the brunette, who was casually sitting in a tired chair. His first destination after returning from the difficult mission was to climb to the roof of the compound, where Tony almost certainly spent most of his days amongst papers and books, no matter the hour. “You have no taste, sweetheart.” His tone was an attempt at a light jest, but it still came out rough. 

“Oh, you’re questioning _my_ taste? The man who still wears his Captain America fatigues questions my sense of aesthetics?” His eyes were a bit brighter now, eager, challenging Steve to take the bait. 

A sucker, Steve always was. 

“Thought you liked my uniform?” He closed the distance between them, playing to Tony’s intentions perfectly. 

“Hmm...what makes you think that?”

“The way you moan my name when I fuck you while wearing it.”

Steve saw the instant shift in the genius’ demeanor. Tony couldn’t play coy anymore. His smug expression had evolved into a completely devious grin. Steve couldn’t allow Tony the self-satisfaction - he reached down to pull the brunette by his arm to stand, bringing their bodies so close, the space between them was imperceptible. 

There always existed an unspoken challenge between them in the beginning, while they both waited to see who would succumb and make the first move. It was a challenge Steve primarily failed. 

In predictable form, Steve dropped his head to claim a kiss. A little presumptuous at first, Steve steadied himself and allowed the kiss to turn slow and soft. Tony’s lips mirrored his movements, lush and full and present. 

Slow hands began to trace the edges of his weathered uniform, deftly searching for the clasp. Steve seized Tony's wrist with a rough hand, holding him still. A thin smile pressed against his lips, and Steve couldn’t help his lips from curling into an equally mischievous smirk. 

“I don’t think you want to do that,” Steve warned against Tony’s mouth. 

“I don’t?” Came the insincere reply. 

“No, you like it too much when it stays on.”

Tony feigned a mild resistance to Steve’s firm grasp, and Steve couldn’t take this coy game any more. Wrapping an arm around the brunette’s waist, Steve pulled him close, and kissed deeply, tongue dancing along familiar territory. Tony sighed a contented response, subtly grinding his hips against Steve. Even through the thick material, Steve could feel Tony’s excitement. At this rate, Tony wasn’t going to last long - and neither was Steve.

It didn’t matter that they were on the roof, surrounded by the brisk chill of midnight - Steve still guided Tony to the ground. Beds and mattresses were overrated, even though they were a scarcity these days. 

Steve allowed his body to cover the slighter man entirely. In an entanglement of limbs, Tony continued to jerk his hips up against Steve’s imposing frame. He felt Tony’s hands running over his bulky outer armor, almost frantic in their movements. He responded with an eagerness of his own, rolling his hips long and hard against the man pinned beneath him, forcing Tony’s desperate twitches to settle. 

“See? I told you this is what you like.” Tony returned with an indulgent moan, stretching his head back, allowing Steve to lick along the exposed skin of his sensitive neck. “Gonna get you nice and ready to take me, gonna strip you down, kiss you hard, and take you deep. All without taking this uniform off. ‘Cause I know that’s what’s gonna make you come.”

He knew Tony well, and he knew the uniform was the most erotic fixation of Tony’s mind. These days, that was one of the only things that could push Steve over the edge, too.

“Shit, Steve…” Tony was coming undone, fast, and if he was going to make good on his promise, he would have to act fast. Without warning, Steve grabbed at the hem of Tony’s sweatshirt, pulling it up and over his head quickly, then shoving it between Tony’s bare skin and the cold concrete. The man didn’t resist, he allowed it to happen to him, running his hands along Steve’s bulky gear in approval. With expert movement, Steve stripped away Tony’s jeans and boxers and shoes in one swift movement. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done this hundreds of times before - at this point, it would be more difficult to pretend he wasn’t adept at stripping Tony Stark completely naked in a matter of seconds. 

There was something so powerful about pressing down on Tony, completely naked, while he was completely clothed in industrial-strength protection. Tony was exposed, so willingly so, and Steve had the power to make him unravel, to destroy him, all without removing a stitch of his armor. The rough edges of his suit would leave impressions and marks against Tony’s olive skin. Sometimes, the friction of worn fabric would scratch the brunette, making his skin tender or raw. Steve could be careful, hold him down to minimize the abrasions, or he could lean in, embrace it, and leave his mark in more ways than one. The latter was always more enticing. 

“You look good wearing the suit, babe,” Tony purred demurely. 

“And you look good wearing nothing.” Steve reached down to grasp Tony’s length, hard and ready. His gloved hand might cause more damage than was desirable, so Steve proceeded to stroke him carefully, slowly, encouraged by the gasps and whines filling the night air. It didn’t take long for Steve to know he had to stop, lest he tip Tony over the edge before he was finished with him. 

He removed his hand from Tony’s cock to scrounge around in a small outer pocket of his pants, retrieving a small bottle of lube - a necessity Steve always maintained in his uniform, since the hours were few that he wasn’t wearing it these days. 

He reached his hand down without looking and grabbed at Tony’s ass, massaging closer and closer to his opening. Tony’s legs splayed wide, an invitation to continue. 

With a liberal coating glistening on his ungloved fingertips, Steve went to work. He didn’t need to open Tony deep, just wide, and he gently teased at him to stretch him just wide enough. Tony’s vocalizations encouraged him on, but Steve kept a steady pace, knowing he wouldn’t be tempted to give up his control. 

His pants were growing uncomfortably tight, a distraction he would have to acknowledge soon. He kept scissoring rhythmically, impressed by how relaxed Tony’s muscles were becoming. 

“I wanna feel you, babe.” It didn’t take much to threaten Steve’s control, and Tony’s plea was too much. He retracted his hand, and feverishly began tearing away at his duty belt and zipper. He was hard, impossibly hard, and with a bit more lube, Steve sunk greedily into the enrapturing heat of Tony’s body. 

Steve hovered over Tony as they panted heavily together. Other than the impossible sensations of heat and tightness overwhelming his cock, his body felt nothing else, only stiff fabric encasing his skin. The uniform was cumbersome, true, but the power it had over Tony was satisfaction enough for Steve. 

He felt movement - Tony had begun to roll his hips in an salacious manner, wrapping his legs firmly around an unencumbered waist. 

Steve wasted no time pressing Tony into the ground, rough and hard. He began to thrust, slowly, confidently, then increasing pace as the brunette ceased his own rhythm. It was obscene how Tony groaned and babbled and allowed Steve to take him, to pound him quickly, rapidly, with no reprieve. His head was spinning, it was too much, Tony was always too much, and even with sensation muted on every inch of skin other than his cock, he was overstimulated, overwhelmed, becoming shaky and erratic and - 

“God, I love it when you fuck me like this, god, you’re so fuckin’ sexy…” Tony’s high whines and ramblings were growing breathier and more incoherent with each syllable. “It’s so hot, so _fuckin’_ hot, but Steve, babe, _Steve…_ ” he moaned, “you know it’s even hotter when you take off the-”

Steve abruptly snapped his hips, sinking his body completely flush against Tony, not a hint of his cock exposed, every inch of it concealed within the brunette. Tony sobbed with the sudden change of pace, and Steve started rocking into him, deeper and deeper. 

Tony’s unbearable heat was toppling him, fast. The brunette was tight, so tight, impossibly so, and Steve felt lightning rip through his core as his deep thrusts became uncontrollable spasms of pleasure. He chased his orgasm furiously, a man of pure desperation, trailing a high he once regarded a friend and with whom he would never reunite. 

Heaving harshly, he wrapped a gloved hand around Tony’s throbbing cock, squeezing firm, allowing his hand to shake tight and fast rather than stroke long and hard, knowing the rough material had the potential to make Tony raw. With little effort, Tony was ready, and inaudible prayers floated from his lips accompanying his climax. Despite their shared intimate history, it was a sight Steve would never not cherish - Tony Stark, splayed on the ground before him, impossibly tense, then impossibly limp, all within seconds, blanketed with a soft aura of bliss. 

They lay there, panting heavily, for a few minutes before Steve could bring himself to lean back and slip out of Tony. He pushed out a harsh sigh as he zipped his pants back up and secured his belt, then crossed his legs loosely to sit on the unforgiving cement. 

“...damn, what a way to celebrate,” Tony finally breathed. He ran his hands over his face, then through his hair before sitting up and dressing himself. Once finished, Steve felt him shift closer, their shoulders barely brushing. A peaceful moment passed while Steve allowed his mind to be captivated by the brilliance of a slowly fading twilight. Along the horizon, there was a distant movement that caught his attention. He ignored a pang of anxiety that echoed in his gut in favor of gazing into the night sky.

“Before you left, I heard that Nat expects a retaliation.” Steve bristled at the talk of the mission. It wasn’t a topic off-limits, but it was unwelcome. “I’m just glad you’re back, today. You know...despite all the shit, I’ve always had a soft spot for today.” Steve hummed absentmindedly, snaking his arm up Tony’s back and running a hand through wisps of brunette hair. “It’s like, how much shit can one day take? If I believed in divine, no, _cosmic_ intervention, I would think the universe just really had it out for May the 6th.”

Something in the sky caught his attention. It glittered and gleamed, and Steve knew it had to be an old satellite floating by. But his heart leapt just a bit, a small bubble of hope that it was a shooting star. There hadn’t been any since the devastation occurred a year ago, and even though all the satellites had also fallen, it was still a more likely presumption than an actual star falling. _Ma always said they were magic,_ he mused to himself. _Don’t fall for magic._

A muffled sound was now barely audible emitting from somewhere far away from the compound. 

“So, cheers to today.” Tony raised an empty hand, mimicking a toast. The movement distracted Steve from his thoughts, and he realized that Tony had been talking the whole time. The brunette gave a smile, and pushed himself up to stand. Steve followed instinctually, and the two began to walk toward the entrance to the compound. 

“What’s today?” He asked innocently. 

Tony immediately shot an incredulous look to Steve. “The sixth.” He replied, annoyed, stopping abruptly in his tracks. 

“Oh. I guess I’ve lost track of the days.” Was it four weeks he’d been gone, then?

“Ok, but it’s kind of an important date, Steve. I mean, even without reliable electronic calendars, you must’ve known it was the sixth of May.”

Steve was confused. He'd been gone on an intensive mission for weeks, he wasn’t exactly keeping track of the date while pacifying hostile masses. “Uh, no, I didn’t.”

“Ok...well, now you know.” Tony still seemed displeased, and hadn’t moved from his spot. 

“I’m sorry. Am I supposed to know what today is?”

“I would hope so.” Tony's words were biting, his face screwed up, eyes growing a bit watery. “Why are you being like that?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you being so weird? What’s so special about the date?”

“Steve... _what_?” His eyes were gleaming, tears welling up. “What the hell do you mean? It’s our...it’s our _anniversary_.” The words ripped through his whole body, and suddenly the world around him began to fade away. 

“Our... _what?_ ” He tried again, knowing as soon as the words spilled from his lips that it was a mistake. Tony’s tears finally began overflowing from the shallow dam. 

“Our anniversary. The day I promised I would be with you forever, no one but you, no one else, only you. The day...the day I told you that you’re, that we’re...soulmates. The day I pledged my heart and soul to you. The day...I sacrificed all of my tech, repurposed my suits, the day we lost our family...the day the world ended. _Steve,_ ” Tony’s words were a faint whisper now, “I’ve been holding on to you all these years... _did that mean nothing to you_?”

Steve had to look away, he couldn’t meet Tony’s imploring gaze. The ground below his feet began to feel like he was standing on melting snow, giving away when he dug his heels in for support. “...but you, you didn’t know that you, that we…” He couldn’t form the words, the thought was gone. 

“It’s been years. _It’s been years!_ I haven’t been with anyone since...and you, you never noticed? What the hell did you think I was doing? What have we been doing all this time if you don't even know the date when our world changed?” Tony had backed away a few steps. His face was bewildered, searching Steve for something he clearly couldn’t find. “How was I so stupid?” He barely breathed the question as he crossed his arms upon his chest. He looked impossibly small, standing mere feet away, and Steve’s heart ached knowing he was who caused this. 

“You weren’t stupid. No...you just got stuck with me.” He was sorry, so sorry, sweet Tony was subjected to an existence that bound them together. Being soulmates could mean anything, and Steve couldn’t fathom why Tony would relegate himself to such a life. “I didn’t know. I really didn’t. You were drunk, and I didn’t think you knew, didn’t think it would mean anything to you, even if you did. I never- I never realized all of those things happened on the same date.” He spoke softly, fearful of a tone that could scare away the man before him. 

“When was I drunk?”

“That night. That night we...that you told me about your soulmark.”

“I wasn’t drunk.” Tony’s gaze was burning into Steve now. “I was drinking. Not drunk. Actually, it was the last time I ever…” his voice trailed off, eyes now lost in something far away. “Even so, why wouldn’t you talk to me about it later? Not even when you moved in two years ago?”

“We never said anything official. I didn’t...I didn’t know what we were doing.”

“Every time I kissed you, you didn’t know what we were doing? Every time I held you while you had a nightmare, you didn’t know what we were doing? Every time you fucked me, every time you came inside me, while I moaned your name...that wasn’t some indication to you?” Heat had returned to Tony’s face, wetness glistening on his cheeks. “Then, the world ends, and I give up all my suits for you, to save you and protect you, and I sit here, day after day, waiting for you, and you don’t think to figure out what the hell we’re doing?”

“I was scared, Tony.”

“Scared of what?” The shout came not as a question. 

“Of losing you.”

“Well which is it? You didn’t know what we were doing? Or you were scared of losing me?” His demeanor had changed abruptly, his voice was still harsh but Tony was starting to let Steve back in, and Steve knew he didn’t deserve it. “Which reason explains why I’ve never seen your soulmark, Steve?” His voice was impossibly tender, filled with sorrow. Steve knew he was listening, really listening, and wanted to hear the truth. It was more than he could bear. 

“I kept telling myself we’d have time. Every time I fucked up. Every miscommunication. Every missed opportunity. I thought, ‘we’ll be ok, we’ve got time.’” He shifted awkwardly, searching for the resolve to carry him through, allowing the weight of the significance of the chance he’d been gifted settle upon his shoulders. 

“But I don’t know that I really believed myself when I said it. I just...kept saying it and saying it, when shit was too hard, when I didn’t think we could come back from it, and I guess somehow I believed our time would expire, we’d be done, and I could live out my days telling myself there was time to fix it with you, even if it was a lie.” He paused, allowing for a protest, but none came, so he forced himself to finish what he had started. “I wouldn’t have to own up to what I’d done to you, or acknowledge the unchangeable fact of you being stuck with me as your soulmate when you inevitably left me. But you never left.”

Steve couldn’t bring himself to hold Tony in his eyes, even as the man softly replied. 

“You understand now? I never left you.” It was obvious, so obvious, and yet Steve had refused to see it. “No matter how you hurt me, I stayed for you, Steve. I’ve always celebrated today, knowing it was the anniversary of me opening my life to you. And it was the commemoration of a new future. At least, it was…”

It was too much to withstand. Steve dropped to his knees, staring out at the landscape as the new sun began to color the horizon. A large, dark mass was moving amidst the pale fields. 

_What has become of our world?_ The words bounced in his mind, but no answer found the question. 

A gentle movement swayed his body, and he felt a pressure wrap around his waist. Tony was holding him, sitting beside him. Tony tentatively wrapped around Steve, until he began to lose sensation in his legs from the uncomfortable kneel. His body slumped to the ground finally, and he wrapped an arm securely around Tony to guide him to rest upon his chest. They remained unmoving, except for the gentle rhythm of Tony’s body rocking with soft sobs.

As Tony’s tears began to ebb, Steve realized he’d forgotten to really breathe. He indulged in a slow inhale, and then continued an intentional motion of deep breaths, his chest rising and dropping with Tony’s head along for the ride. 

_What more could we have taken from us? What else could we possibly lose?_

He’d almost lost what he didn’t know he even had. His soulmate was here with him, holding on to him, and had never given up on him. Not the time when he absconded to track down the most lethal assassin in history, not the time when he took down an entire governmental agency in his pursuit of the assassin, not when he continuously berated his soulmate in front of their shared team, not when he lost trust in the man and let everybody know it, not when he betrayed his soulmate in favor of others and attacked him viciously. Not even when the world ended did this man leave his side, and now, now he’d failed Tony again, in such a way that he wasn’t sure he could come back from after expending all of the chances he’d never earned. 

Still, Tony was here, nestled heavily against his rough suit. He was still holding on. It was time Steve held on, too. 

He squeezed the brunette close and pressed a long kiss to his head, breathing in the familiar smell of Tony Stark. He summoned every molecule of courage remaining in his being and decided what he would dedicate himself to from that moment on. He wouldn’t forget this anniversary, not this time.

Steve was unconcerned with unfamiliar sounds growing more clear, as if something hostile was advancing on them from a far away distance. 

“We’ll be ok, Tony. We’ve got time.”

And this time, he believed it. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic that I’ve posted - I got a little burned out of editing towards the end, so I hope it’s all still somewhat cohesive. I’m so happy to finally contribute to this amazing fandom! Thanks very much for reading 🖤


End file.
